The Zimbabwe Football Association (Zifa) is sweating to raise around US$150 000 needed for the World Cup qualifier away match against Egypt in March.
REPORT BY MICHAEL MADYIRA The Warriors travel to Cairo for the March 22 tie, while fellow Group G members Mozambique and Guinea square up in Maputo on the same day.
Zifa are wallowing in a US$4m debt and it is the immediate competitive assignment that has thrown the association’s financial plight starkly into the limelight. With just two months to go before the match, Zifa vice-president Ndumiso Gumede insists their coffers are virtually dry and it would need a monumental effort to raise the money.
“Here, we are looking for something like US$150 000 or slightly more for us to be able to travel to Egypt. I just hope we will manage but it is a very tough task,” said Gumede.
“While right now we are worried about the Egypt away game, let us not forget there are other equally important matches this year. Like it has been the case recently, we are likely not to make much when we host Egypt and Mozambique,” Gumede said.
Zifa is in the proccess of setting up a Football Trust project to mobilise funds for the association.
Gumede said he held discussions with Retired Colonel Tshinga Dube during Adam Ndlovu’s funeral last month with the view to incorporating him into the Trust. Most companies have developed a tendency of coming on board after smelling glory like when the Warriors were on the verge of qualifying for the current edition of the Africa Cup of Nations.
